Opener for screw top containers



y 14, 1964 A. .1. :usso 3,140,622

OPENER FOR SCREW TOP CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 22, 1960 25 We H f Ell-k} [IH27 /5 INVENTOR. ANTHONY JOH HE E ATTOEA/Ef United States Patent3,140,622 OPENER FOR SCREW TOP CONTAINERS Anthony John Russo, 237 68Wimbledon Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No.50,937 1 Claim. (or. 81-33) This invention relates to gripping devicesand more particularly to those for assisting in removing screw closurecaps from jars and like containers.

Conducive to a better understanding of the invention it may be well topoint out that in the practice of canning it is necessary to thepreservation of the contents that the receptacle therefor be tightlysealed in order to exclude air, moisture and dirt. A partial vacuum issometimes used to enhance the seal of the closure, in addition to theordinary gasket between the closure and container, and great pressureexerted when applying the closure caps. This often results in greatdifliculty in removing the closure caps from the containers.

Various mechanical aids have been developed to assist in the looseningand removal of such caps. Most of such devices require the use of twohands, one to hold the container, and the other to hold a cap engagingclamp having cap gripping means for providing increased leverage to aidin breaking the cap seal.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an openerfor screw cap containers having a stationary cap supporting base and amovable cap engaging jaw that is held solely by gravity against the sosupported cap, and requires no manual pressure, other than a rotary one,to loosen the cap.

Another object is to provide a device of the type stated having agravity operated cap engaging jaw that is auto matically tiltable intowedged engagement with the cap upon rotation of the container.

Still another object is to provide such a device that is adapted formounting in a stationary vertical position so that the container may beturned by hand after the cap engages the gripping jaw, and slipping ofthe container or false movement of the implement will be avoided.

Other objects are to provide a device that requires only one hand in itsoperation; that can grip and loosen closure caps of various sizes; thatis attractive in appearance, and that is sufficiently inexpensive tomanufacture to be available for the average household.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from areading of the following specification and claim together with theaccompanying drawing, wherein like parts are referred to and indicatedby like reference numerals and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a vertical wall showing the opener forscrew cap containers, that is the subject of this invention, mountedthereon with its gravity activated jaw in alternate positions, engagedwith a large and a small diameter cap;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the arm and jaw disengaged from thebase;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the device seen in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a container having a screw cap such asthis implement is intended to remove.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is seen in FIGURE 1the opener for screw cap containers, that is the subject of thisinvention, broadly indicated by reference numeral 10, as it appearsmounted on a vertical Wall surface 11.

The device comprises a base member 15 and an arm 20, including adependent jaw 24 pivotly mounted thereon.

The base 15 is approximately one inch thick and substantiallyrectangular in shape. The base is mounted 3,140,622 Patented July 14,1964 against the wall 11 by means of screws 28, as is seen most clearlyin FIGURE 3.

A wide V notch 17 is cut in the upper edge 16 of the base, and a small Vnotch 18 is cut immediately ahead of the notch 17, as seen in FIGURE 1.

A pivot bolt, or pin, 27 is mounted at the far end of the base, spacedfrom the notches 17 and 18, extending cross-wise of the horizontal planeof the said notches, as seen in FIGURE 3. a

The surfaces of the V notches 17 and 18 are smooth so as to offer noresistance to the rolling or rotation of a container cap supportedthereon.

The arm 20 has a dependent jaw 24 having a toothed surface 25 facedtoward the V notches 17 and 18 when the arm 20 is mounted on the pivotpin 27. The pivot pin 27 extends through an elongated slot 21 in thearm, having closed ends 22 and 23. The slot 21 is angularly inclined, ortilted, toward the jaw end of the arm 20, at an approximate angle of 30to the center line of the arm. Thus, the upper end 22 of the slot 21 isnearer the jaw than the lower end 23, as is seen most clearly in FIGURE2.

The arm 20 and jaw 24 are preferably formed as one piece, of a suitablemetal, such as iron or steel, having the required characteristics ofWeight and strength. In the drawing, the jaw 24 is shown as beingsomewhat bulbous in shape to give it bulk and weight, since itsoperation is dependent upon the pull of gravity. Reference numeral 25indicates a plurality of hardened teeth out cross-wise of the jaw 24,with their biting edges faced upwards.

The rear face of the base is recessed at 19 to provide a cavity in whichthe pivot end of the arm 20 is nested so that the arm 20 is free topivot on its pin 27 without touching the face of the wall 11, as seen inFIGURE 3.

When mounted on a wall 11 as shown in FIGURE 1, the arm 20 and jaw 24normally pivot downward toward the V notches 17 and 18 under the pull ofgravity until the jaw 24 comes to rest thereagainst with the toothedface 25 in operative association therewith.

In explaining the operation of the device, it will be assumed that astraight-walled glass container 12, such as an olive bottle, having ascrew cap 13, as shown in FIG- URE 4, is to have its cap loosened.

It is of course to be understood that the same procedure would apply tothe opening of any type of screw cap container, whether the cap be largeor small.

The arm 20, as indicated in full outline in FIGURE 1, is raised by itshandle 26, and the lower edge of the bottle cap 13 is supported on the Vnotch 17 with the end face of the cap held against the wall 11, whichacts as a back stop. The bottle 12 is held so that the center ofrotation of the cap 13 is parallel to the supporting faces of the Vnotch 17. The arm 20 is then released and pivots downward, under thepull of gravity, in an arcuate path, until the jaw teeth 25 rest againstthe edge of the cap 13. The bottle 12 is then rotated or rolled to theleft, or counterclockwise on the V notch 17. Since the jaws teeth 25 areheld firmly against the cap, by gravity, they will bite into the capedge and hold it from rotating. If the rolling force is continued, thecontainer will unscrew from the anchored cap.

If the cap is tightly fitted to the container, the rolling of the capwill continue beyond the initial engagement of the teeth and cap, andsuch continued rotation will cause the jaw 25 to be pulled downwardwhich in turn will tilt the arm forward on the pivot pin 27 until thelower end 23 of the slot 20 is in contact with the pivot pin 27. The capwill now be tightly wedged between the jaw and notch since any tendencyof the arm to swing upward is counteracted by the fact that suchmovement will cause the arm to be pulled closer against the cap 13 dueto the angular inclination of the slot 21. Once the cap is loosened, the

3 arm 20 is raised and the container returned to a vertical positionwherein the loose cap can be unscrewed by hand, so that any containedliquid will not spill, although it should be understood that the capcould be entirely unscrewed while held in the device.

Reference numeral 14 indicates a small cap, such as that of anail-polish container, or the like. In this case the cap 14 ispositioned in the small V notch 18 and the arm 20 as indicated in dotand dash outline is brought to bear against the cap 14 under the forceof gravity as explained hereinabove with the large cap 13.

While the device has been illustrated as being used to hold containercaps, it is of course to be understood that it will grip and hold anytubular or cylindrical structure, such as a length of pipe, in whichcase it would act as a vise.

It will now be clear that there is provided a device which accomplishesthe objectives heretofore set forth. While the invention has beendisclosed in its preferred form, it is to be understood that thespecific embodiment thereof as described and illustrated herein is notto be considered in a limited sense as there may be other forms ormodifications of the invention which should also be construed to comewithin the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An opener for screw cap containers comprising in combination:

(a) An elongated base member including means for securing said basemember to a vertical surface,

(b) an arm having a jaw depending therefrom at one extremity, said jawhaving a serrated gripping surface, said arm having the other extremitypivotally connected to one end of said base member for tilting movementtoward and away from said base member,

(0) said base member having a plurality of V-notches of different sizesdisposed in spaced relation there along and in confronting relation withsaid jaw, the smaller of said V-notches opening forwardly at the otherend of said base, and the larger of said V- notches being disposedadjacent said smaller of said V-notches and opening generally upwardly,said arm coacting selectively with said V-notches for clamping acontainer cap therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS486,235 Parnall Nov. 15, 1892 671,318 Fraser Apr. 2, 1901 810,365 BarlowJan. 16, 1906 1,093,388 Flack Apr. 14, 1914 2,005,410 Balz June 18, 19352,431,550 Gary Nov. 25, 1947 2,499,032 Niblett Feb. 28, 1950 2,818,754Kubik et al Jan. 7, 1958 2,854,872 Hastings Oct. 7, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS771,241 Great Britain Mar. 27, 1957

